Region IDs: New Names From the Tuscaloosa Area

The Tuscaloosa area has a few schools that consistently pump players into the college ranks. Here are some new names from that area, ranging from already noteworthy prospects to some sleepers who need more recognition.    Brylon Tubbs is a two-way player for Northridge who produced as a corner and as a playmaker with the ball in his hand. Tubbs is a physical defender who isn't afraid to drop his pads and strike ball carriers with good leverage. He really impresses me with the ball in his hands. He is a long strider who gradually accelerates to his top speed with his long strides. He frequently runs away from defenses, gaining separation with each stride. While he is more of a strider, he does prove capable of dancing around contact and chopping his feet to create his own yards. Tubbs is a rising senior sleeper to keep an eye on. He fires out of a cannon with the ball in his hand and is tough to catch once he opens up.     Mayson Elam is an impressive multi-sport athlete who is picking up some buzz and attention as a baseball prospect. He doubles as a productive WR too in the fall. He is a wiry 5'11 175 with room to get even bigger. He has decent speed, enough to eliminate cushion in adequate time, and take advantage of open running lanes after the catch. His explosiveness and suddenness are what stick out the most on tape. He generates weak tackling attempts and often shakes defenders off-balance with his violent, quick cuts. He steps on toes at the top of his routes and cuts sharply across the faces of defenders. When he receives the ball, he catches it in stride and maintains his top speed. Elam is getting plenty of love on the diamond, but his football tape offers a closer look at some of his athletic traits.     Kaiedyn Rice is a pure NT prospect who holds D1 offers from Troy and Jackson State. He is far-developed physically for his age and already looks like a D1 nose tackle. Rice is a gap plugger and people-pusher. He has no problem picking up blockers and moving them backward but will need to improve his pad level and fire his feet more to do that consistently at the college level. Even when he isn't creating push, he is tough to move, something that should continue into the college ranks. He does a good job of anchoring down, getting wide, and engulfing ball carriers when they come his way. Rice is a prototype NT projection and could find the field soon at the next level with subtle mechanical improvements.     [player_tooltip player_id='1225969' first='Kahden' last='Smith'] is firmly on the P4 recruiting scene and has solidified himself as one of the best 2026 WR prospects in the state. Tall, lean, and cut 6'2 185. He is one of the better-looking WRs in the state from a physical perspective. He is an elite size/speed combo, flashing a complete bag of athleticism with his explosiveness, speed, and COD. Smith completely eviscerates cushion off the line. He effortlessly gallops past safeties and adjusts to the ball in the air. Thanks to how much he threatens the defenses vertically, he is presented with several opportunities underneath to snap back and show his chest to QBs. He is light enough on his feet and has the playmaking potential to handle kick return duties and take sweeps/screens to the house. Smith is a playmaker at each level of the field and does it on a P4 frame.     [player_tooltip player_id='1630521' first='Jackson' last='Carlisle'] is a strong, well-developed DL prospect with some position versatility. He is strong and plays with good leverage, making him tough to move when he anchors and enabling him to punch and rip blockers off-platform. He plays with excellent anticipation skills off the snap, which he pairs with decent enough bend to get underneath blockers and create an angle to the football. He has a bag of arm-over, arm-under, and swipe moves to keep his chest clean and free himself. He is a patient tackler who keeps his eyes up, settles down, and wraps up ball carriers at contact. Carlisle is a high-floor DL prospect who holds some offers.     Big LB prospect who looks to have packed on some weight in the last year or so, hovering around the 230-235 range, reportedly. Hall has the size to stand in the box and battle with blockers and even walk down and play some EDGE if needed. He isn't a burner, but closes space with his long strides and takes brilliant angles to the football, helping him navigate sideline to sideline. He plays with noticeable discipline. He doesn't freeze or chase after misdirection. He remains calm and steady in chaos. He plays low to the ground, keeps his feet active, and lures tacklers into his wide tackling radius. Hall holds a few D1 offers. He has the tools to be a productive tackler at the FBS level.     Notable baseball prospect, but he is producing on Friday nights in the fall and is good enough to generate college attention in football if he is interested. Plays both ways, but does most of his damage as a WR. Well-developed, athletic 5'11 170 with broad shoulders, almost built like a RB. He knows how to separate at the top of his routes with deception and does a good job working back to the QB to attack the football and prevent DBs from coming downhill to make a play on it. His ball skills are impressive, tracking through traffic and making grabs while adjusting in the air. Kightlinger is getting the "too good at baseball" treatment to really get a lot of buzz as a football prospect, but he deserves some recognition for how good he is on the gridiron.

The Tuscaloosa area has a few schools that consistently pump players into the college ranks. Here are some new names from that area, ranging from already noteworthy prospects to some sleepers who need more recognition.